In and around Northbrook, the year 2014 was one in which the recovering local economy turned scarce local land into a source of opportunity for those with imagination – and often, chagrin for those faced with the possibility of living with the...

Spring break for Brandon Paul had nothing to do with sunny beaches or an ocean-side view.
Instead, the Warren basketball star spent time at Children's Memorial Hospital as the bingo partner of a chronically ill child."He's 8 years old, and his nickname...

Publishers Weekly named "Slowing Time: Seeing the Sacred Outside Your Kitchen Door" one of the 10 most anticipated religion books for the fall. But former Chicago Tribune reporter Barbara Mahany would like to tweak that: "It's a spirituality book," she...

The past few weeks have been rough on anyone who calls themselves a football fan.
I won't bore you with the names that have become synonymous with what is wrong with the NFL. However, if we are going to discuss football players who are doing the wrong...

Five students were airlifted from El Campo Middle School to a Houston hospital after they ingested pills they received from another student, officials said Wednesday.
The five students were all listed in good condition at Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital, about 70 miles away, spokeswoman Alex Loessin told the Los Angeles Times. Four children were released later in the day.
The pills have not been identified. El Campo police said they were investigating the incident.
According to police, a...

Sarah Wood gives good advice — and she follows it.
Wood, wife of former Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood, is co-founder with her husband and vice president of the Wood Family Foundation. She is in her second year at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and we asked her about going back to college as an older student.
"I recommend to anyone to do something they're afraid of," says Wood, who is pursuing a degree in business administration to support her work with the foundation. "We're all changing and...

Warm breezes will soon hint at spring, inspiring Chicagoans with vacation homes to set a date to open cottages and cabins in a wide arc stretching from Lake Michigan's eastern shores to the vest-pocket lakes of northern Illinois and Wisconsin.
Until not that long ago, even Chicago's mansion dwellers lacked air conditioning, making a summertime getaway a welcome escape from sleepless, sweltering August nights. It also offered a change of pace from the hustle and bustle of a big city to the tranquillity...

With more and more students interested in dedicating their lives to a greater good, colleges and universities continue to add programs and degrees geared toward leadership in the nonprofit sector.
Many colleges offer undergraduate and graduate degrees in organizational management and several go one step further offering concentrations in the nonprofit sector.
Nonprofit organizations are those classified as 501(c)3. They have staff, but rely heavily on volunteers, donations and grants. Any surplus is...

A $350 million proposal to build twin high rises, other buildings and redevelop four existing structures at the former Children's Memorial Hospital campus in Lincoln Park is headed to a full City Council vote next week after the Zoning Committee today endorsed the plan.
The redevelopment would include two 21-story apartment towers with retail and office space, a smaller condominium building and an assisted-living senior citizen center along Lincoln and Fullerton avenues between Orchard and Halsted...

The 15-year-old heroine of a shooting at a suburban Houston home that left six of her family members dead was released from the hospital Friday.
Cassidy Stay was discharged in good condition from Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, according to a statement issued by the hospital.
Stay was the lone survivor of Wednesday's attack.
"As a hospital team, we were honored to be able to help care for this brave young woman at her critical time of need,”...